


Slaying Dragons

by Blue_Pandas



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, BDSM dynamics, Bondage, Don’t copy to another site, Explosions, Impact Play, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Injuries, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Overstimulation, Past Unhealthy Relationship, between main pairings, past sexual slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 05:06:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18403712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Pandas/pseuds/Blue_Pandas
Summary: Harry swore to never talk to Tom and Cedric again, but after a recent string of not-so-accidental accidents, he finds himself going back to the people who had once meant safety and security to him. He’s a cryptographer, not a combat-orientated soldier, but he’s never been helpless either, and now, he finds himself fighting for his life once more.





	Slaying Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by the brilliant [trashgoblinwizardparty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashgoblinwizardparty). Also, thank you to cybrid for looking over the first 1k words when I was first starting out and dreikorg for reading the completed version and telling me if I should put an unhealthy relationship tag.
> 
> Harry has a romanticised view of his time as a slave and ends up in a relationship with Tom and Cedric, who were the human traffickers. Do not read if you think this work contains triggers for you. Please note that this depiction is nowhere close to real life human trafficking, which is horrible and not something this author endorses or approves of in any way.

There were few people for whom Harry would give up his dignity for, and three of them had been killed in the last five weeks. The officials had ruled them all accidents. Potions explosion. Trampled by horses. But the last one, killed by an animated gargoyle, was the limit, and Harry found himself knocking on the door of an address he had written down, memorised, stared at for months, burnt, and sworn to never visit. 

The man that opened the door was the perfect state of handsomely rumpled. Sleep-mussed hair, waistcoat hastily buttoned, shoes untied. “Harry,” Cedric greeted in surprise. 

Harry swallowed the memories that threatened to erupt at the sound of his name on familiar lips. “Someone is killing us,” he said. “I need help. I’ll beg if I have to.” 

“There’s no need for that. Come in.” Cedric opened the door wider to allow Harry inside. 

Cedric Diggory and Tom Riddle should have been in a cell, charged with a prison sentence for life. Instead, the house they had shared for the past five years was a small, cosy place. There were books on stands and worn-out chairs, a tea set on the kitchen table, coats and hats hung up on a rack by the door, and so many other signs of domestic life. In the kitchen, Cedric pulled out a chair with a pale green cushion at the table and gestured down. “Sit.” 

Harry sat, back stiff. 

“Tell me about it.” 

Harry talked about the death of Ari, quickly followed by Zach, then Ana, Ari’s identical twin. “They think it’s an accident, and they’re not investigating, but three of us in five weeks? This isn’t a coincidence.” 

“How much have you said?” 

“Not much. I’m sealed by court.” His shoulder throbbed, a phantom pain and a bitter reminder that the officials had feared them so much that they had tattooed a seal on all of them, binding them to take the secrets to the grave. He had agreed to the Writ of Silence in exchange for the protection the court would provide, but now the damn thing was killing him because he _couldn’t say anything._

“Are you safe?” 

Harry shrugged. “No one’s tried to kill me, and I haven’t had any near misses. But that’s not the point.” 

Cedric smiled, a fond expression. “No, the point is that your friends are in danger. You always lacked self-preservation.”

“Yeah, well, whose fault is that.” Harry swallowed anymore dry responses and looked around. “Is Tom here?”

“He’s at the market.” 

Harry let out an internal sigh of relief. Of the two of them, Tom was more…intense. Harsher, darker, crueller. Cedric was nice and sweet, good at listening to problems, caring, and kind. But just like there was a thread of kindness in Tom’s cruelty, there was a vein of darkness in Cedric’s good. The two of them would never have worked otherwise.

“What suspects do you have?” 

He grimaced and shrugged. “I’m not with the constable or anything. A friend of mine is and all he knows is that they’re ruled as accidents and no one is investigating.”

“The three of them never worked together. Did they keep in contact after?” 

“As much as any of us did as far as I know.” The Arinaris had all separated in the aftermath, choosing to go separate directions and figure out how to build a life for themselves now that they could.

Cedric let out a thoughtful hum. “Are you sure that’s all the dead then?” 

“I haven’t heard anything about…your side of things, but I didn’t keep track of that.” He had at first, an obsession that occupied every single waking moment, until he finally burnt all the files on the trainers and walked away. Otherwise, he would have ended up in a cage again, one he made for himself.

“I haven’t either. Tom might know something.”

“Will you tell him I was here?” 

“Not if you don’t want me to unless it becomes a danger to him.” 

Harry hesitated. “I don’t want him to know,” he said finally. 

Cedric didn’t judge him, only nodded. “Would you like to meet up at a later time?” 

He shook his head. “I’ll find you if anything happens.” Unless he was the next victim. Harry ignored the thought and fled the house. 

Magic made travelling easier, and Harry arrived at his home in thirty minutes. The door was ajar. Horror sent him sprinting away, wrapping his magic around him in a shield, but it was too late. The explosion caught him and sent him flying in the dirt. His shield cushioned his fall, but only a little, and Harry struggled to inhale. Everything sounded muffled, and smoke filled the air. People sprinted to the scene. Lips moved but he couldn’t hear anything. 

The distinctive moss green colour of the Healer Corps appeared over his head, and he felt warm magic enter his body. His aches disappeared, and suddenly, sound returned to the world.

“Can you take a deep breath for me?” the Healer asked. 

Harry inhaled and exhaled slowly. Nothing hurt. 

“Sir, please go to a Healer’s tent,” the Healer said rapidly and rushed off. 

Harry pushed himself up and looked around. The building that housed the small room he called home had collapsed. The surrounding buildings were in rubble. People laid on the ground, unmoving, covered in dust and ash. The street was in ruins. His home was gone. Everything was gone. 

He made his way to the tents, his eyes tracking the Healer’s sigil of the tree of life, magicked in the sky, his body numb. 

Apparently, the assassins had decided to give up on subtlety. 

* * *

Harry didn’t stay in the Healer’s tent for long. His personal shields had kept him mostly safe, and the emergency Healer had fixed the cracked ribs. One of the Healers wrapped a blanket around him before setting him on a bed, but he stared at the injured people, some too damaged to come here on their own, and he couldn’t stay any longer. 

No one stopped him, and Harry found himself making his way back towards his home. Or where his home had once been. An enormous red barrier had been erected, blocking bystanders from entering, but Harry could still see the sheer destruction. 

Rubble covered the cobblestone path, the remains of buildings. Smoke rose to the top of the barrier from parts that had burnt down. Bodies laid on the ground, dead or those beyond help. The Healers and constable were still moving to rescue who they could. 

“What happened?” he asked when one of the officers exited the barrier, struggling to hold up a large unconscious man. Harry reached out automatically to steady the pair, and he grabbed the arm hanging limply on the side, pulling some of the weight onto himself. 

“My thanks,” the officer gasped out. “It was dragon fire.” 

Dragon fire. Stable until mixed with certain compounds, able to create massive explosions, and requires special magicked water to put out the flames. Even worse, it was known for secondary explosions because pieces that weren’t mixed as well took longer to ignite. 

“Do you know the source of the dragon fire?” 

“We’ve been a little busy here,” the officer snapped.

Harry kept his mouth shut the rest of the way and helped pull the man to a Healer’s tent. He hurried away, pushing back the crowd that had appeared to gawk over the spectacle. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but it definitely didn’t involve standing around and presenting himself as a nice, big target. Especially not around innocent people, now that the killers had proven they didn’t care about collateral damage.

The Arinaris had taught him many things, most of which he had tried to forget, but one of the things that stuck was the need for a contingency. The best plans accounted for everything that could go wrong, but the what-ifs were countless. Instead of trying to account for everything small thing, Harry had only general items stored, and he walked to Lyssianssi, a high-end brothel. Its mistress, Luna Lovegood, a petite blond woman with large silver-blue eyes, guaranteed security and privacy. 

Its patrons wore masks that covered the upper half of their face to protect their identity and filled out forms under a pseudonym to indicate their preferences. In addition, they had a decent cook and, most importantly, a safe room warded by the best shields money could buy and could only be entered by one person.

Harry hadn’t exactly told the truth when he said that he hadn’t had contact with the Arinaris. Luna had learned the lessons well, and even more, she was the main Arinaris contact and the reason they knew of the dead with her chain of runners and spies. 

Blond curls bounced as the small woman rushed down the stairs at the sight of Harry. She looked at him with solemn eyes and reached out to lace their fingers together. “I heard,” she said solemnly. “Are you well?” 

“I don’t know.” He was so cold, Harry realised suddenly. He was numb and cold, and he felt empty inside. He wanted something he had no words for, only a _need_ that wouldn’t go away. “I need my secondary pack.” 

“Of course. Go take a seat and I’ll get you something to eat and a change of clothes first.”

Clothes? Oh, he was covered in dust and grime, and was that blood? Perhaps from the unconscious man. Distantly, he hoped the man lived. 

Luna gently tugged Harry when he didn’t move, and he found himself obeying the silent order and taking a seat close to the fire. He stared at the flickering flames for a moment and shut his eyes. Gods, he was so tired. 

She reappeared by his side what seemed like seconds later. “Soup and clothes,” she said, setting them down on the dark wood table. “Washcloth. Your secondary pack has been set in a room upstairs. Room five.” Luna pressed the key to his hands. “You’re staying the night free of charge.” 

“I can pay.” 

“Free of charge,” Luna repeated, and Harry backed down.

“I went to see Cedric,” he said instead. “I wanted to ask for help but…” 

“He refused?” 

Harry shook his head. “I don’t know what I was thinking. What can he do? Protect me? Protect us? He’s not… We’re not…” Words refused to come out. Harry sighed. “Do you ever miss it?” 

Luna shook her head. “I like being in control of my life.” 

“I do too. It’s just that it was so gods-cursed easy back then. I did what I was told, and they smiled, and everything was good. I miss that security.” He had felt safe, and it was a wonder.

“You were one of the ones who pushed for us to fight back.” 

“Eventually,” he pointed out. “I did it for the others. For the people who were trapped and the ones who hated the owners and the lies and the service.” Harry sighed and covered his face with his hands. “What’s wrong with me, Luna?” 

“Nothing,” she said firmly. “There is nothing wrong with you. Drink your soup and get some sleep. We’ll figure out our next step tomorrow.” 

“You have my thanks.” He wiped the grime off his face and hands with the warm washcloth. Harry sipped the soup and sighed at the taste of chicken broth. He handed the bowl to one of the daylight workers when he was done and left for his room. 

It was simple, a bed and a dimly-lit fairylight sitting on the small table on the side of the bed.

The sheets were clean, and Harry felt a smidgeon of guilt when he collapsed down, dirtying them, but it didn’t last long until he fell asleep.

* * *

Things weren’t better in the morning. Of course they weren’t. But Harry had a moment when he woke up and forgot that someone had tried to kill him, and he was confused. Then he wasn’t.

Maybe they weren’t after him. Maybe the dragon fire had been there to target someone else, and he was just a bystander who got caught up in it.

But he remembered his ajar door, which he had definitely left closed. Harry never let anyone into his space, and while he had made friends who weren’t Arinaris, he had never once told them where he lived, much less invited them over. Harry had warded his home with his rudimentary knowledge, and he hadn’t felt the wards go off. It was an expert job.

But maybe, he hoped, just maybe he was wrong and he hadn’t been targeted.

Luna dashed those hopes. “The constable is looking for you,” she said the moment she stepped into his room. “The dragon fire was found in your property.” 

Harry’s blood grew cold. “Do they think I was the one to set the explosion?” 

“There’s no arrest warrant.” 

It didn’t mean he wasn’t a suspect, just that they didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him. He could run. He wanted to. Harry had always been the type to run from his problems until he was at a dead end. “I suppose I should go see them,” he said wearily. “Is it okay if I stop by the bathhouse first?” 

“Don’t,” Luna said. “Go as you are now.” 

“But I’m a mess.” 

“Exactly.” 

It took Harry a moment to understand. If he went as he was now, he could show them he had been caught up in the blast, which would be evidence of his innocence. He hoped. “The room…” 

“Will be held for you as long as you need it.”

Harry didn’t try to argue. Truth be told, he didn’t want to. He had limited funds, and having a roof over his head made things easier, even if it felt like charity. “Don’t die, Luna,” Harry said suddenly. “We need you.” 

“I don’t plan on going anywhere.” 

But plans never quite worked out the way they wanted them to. Harry kept his mouth shut and didn’t say anything. He watched her walk out of his room again, and he forced himself to follow her and face the day. 

It was a thirty-minute walk to get from Lyssianssi to the constable headquarters. Harry bought a small meat pie with a few coins and scarfed it down just as he reached the tall building. Despite its old rickety appearance, the building had strong wards built into its foundations. Unlike the hastily erected barrier at the incident, this one was transparent, and its appearance wasn’t immediately notable. 

As Harry stepped past the threshold, he felt the magic brush over his skin. It categorised him as a magical unarmed human, and no one stepped out to arrest him. However, a redhead man jogged up to meet him. “Harry, I heard about what happened. You look horrible. Are you okay?” Ron asked. 

Harry had found it hard to branch out after Arinaris. How could he make friends when there were so many things he couldn’t explain, a tattoo on his shoulder blade taking the choice from him? How could he pretend to be normal when his idea of normal had been skewed even before Arinaris and he had no understanding of what normal meant? He had never been one of the pretty ones who could cosy up to the rich and respectable and learn their secrets. 

However, Ron had grabbed onto Harry when they first met and refused to let him go no matter how off standish and awkward Harry was. Five years ago, they had both been twenty-three. Harry had been preparing to testify in closed court, and Ron was new to the constables, starting out as a runner. He had lacked the rank to be part of the operation that took down the Arinaris, but he had befriended Harry and been the rock Harry needed when he felt like he was adrift in a vast ocean.

“I’m fine,” Harry said. “I heard the constable was looking for me.” 

“Yeah, mate, come on.” Ron led Harry through the building until they reached a closed office on the second storey. “Listen, if you need anything, you know I’m here for you, yeah?” 

“Thanks, Ron,” Harry managed. 

Ron knocked on the door. “Harry Potter here to see you, ma’am,” he said when the door opened. 

The severe-looking woman sitting behind the desk filled with stacks of paper met Harry’s eyes. “Dismissed, Mr. Weasley.” she said. “Mr. Potter, have a seat.” 

Harry sat at one of the stiff, uncomfortable wooden chairs on the other side of the desk. The door shut behind him on its own. 

“Yesterday, there was a dragon fire explosion on Elid Street. The source of the explosion has been tracked to your home.” 

“Oh,” Harry said eloquently. He thought he already knew, but the confirmation made him feel nauseous. “Am I under arrest?” 

“Do you have any reason to be under arrest?” 

“I don’t think so,” he said. His voice sounded distant, like his head was submerged underwater but he could still speak. He was so gods-cursed cold. A strange thing to focus on when so much was happening, but he couldn’t stop thinking about just how cold he was.

“You were there when it happened. Walk me through the incident.” 

“I was walking home. I had reached my flat when I saw that the door was slightly open. I never leave my door open, and I shielded and ran. The explosion caught me. A Healer came and fixed the damage.”

“You weren’t far when the Healer found you. That’s a pretty fast shield.”

“I have good reflexes.”

“Where were you walking from?” 

The sudden change in topic caught Harry by surprise, and he stumbled over his answer. “I was visiting my…an old…friend.” 

The woman—McGonagall, the name plate read—wrote something down on a notepad. “Do you make a habit of visiting this friend?” 

“No.”

“So you happened to visit this friend of yours and arrive back right as the explosion occurred.” 

“Yes.” 

“What is the name of this friend?”

Harry hesitated. 

“Mr. Potter, if you do not give me an alibi, I will arrest you right now for possession of illegal compounds, destruction of property, assault, and murder.” 

“Cedric Diggory,” he blurted out. 

“The address of Mr. Diggory?” 

Harry rattled off the digits and street names without hesitation.

“That’s a bit far to go to visit a friend.” 

“Recent advances in magical transportation has lessened the time it takes to travel, as I’m sure you know,” Harry responded. 

“Quite. I’m sure Mr. Diggory will corroborate with your story when we speak to him.”

Harry resisted grimacing and forced his lips into a strained smile. “Of course,” he said. “And I suppose there’s no way you will allow me to meet him or alert him you’re coming?” 

“I see you’re starting to understand the way things work around here.” 

* * *

They didn’t place him in a cell, but Harry was under no impression that he was allowed to leave. The constable had a break room, and they sat him there with a cup of tea and a legion of officers between him and the exit. 

Harry had thought about lying about the conversation between him and Cedric, but in the end, he had dragged down his shirt just enough to reveal the Writ of Silence in his skin. That had effectively ended the conversation, and she had glowered before sending him out. 

When he found himself picking at the dead skin on his fingers, a nervous habit he had never been able to rid himself of, Harry forced his fingers to straighten and rest on his lap. Dear gods, what were they asking Cedric? What was Cedric saying? 

The anxiety worsened inside him, and Harry found himself picking at the skin so much that blood drops appeared on his fingertips, and he wiped them on his dirty shirt. He wished he changed into the spare Luna had given him and struggled to remember why he hadn’t. Oh right, to evoke sympathy. Fat lot of good that had done.

And then because Harry thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. 

“Sir, please wait here for your partner,” a haggard officer said. She dumped her companion in the break room and left at a run.

Harry didn’t blame her when he saw who it was. His hands clasped together, and his back straightened. His legs uncrossed, and he tried to shake off the wrinkles in his trousers. Then, Harry realised what he was doing and stopped. He deliberately slouched for about five seconds before straightening again as he waited to be noticed. 

“Hello, Harry,” Tom Riddle purred. “It’s been a while.” 

Harry swallowed. “Hi, Tom,” he said.

“I heard you tried to get yourself killed.” 

“That’s not what happened!” Harry protested. “I was assaulted!”

“And you chose to drag Cedric into it.” 

“Not willingly!” 

“Oh? So you didn’t give up his name?” 

Harry faltered. “He’s not under arrest,” he muttered. “I’m the person of interest here.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” 

“Oh? What did you think would happen when you came to our house? That you could simply stop by and then leave and no one would notice _when someone is trying to kill you_?” The last part was said in a furious whisper, quiet enough to avoid being overheard. 

“I didn’t think that they would come after me,” Harry snarled back just as quietly. He looked around to make sure no one was watching the two of them. “Please, can we not talk about it now?”

To Harry’s surprise, Tom didn’t push. “My house, tonight at nine bells,” he said. Tom leaned back in his chair and turned his attention to the bustling of the constables, seemingly content on ignoring Harry. 

Still, his presence was like a fire in a room. Big, loud, unable to be ignored, dangerous if not contained. Harry sat stiffly in his own chair until one of the officers came back with Cedric. 

“Ready to go?” Tom asked. 

“Yeah.” Cedric flashed a smile at Harry, genuine as ever. “It’s nice to see you safe, Harry. I hope you weren’t terribly injured by that explosion. Unfortunate our conversation didn’t last longer or you’d have avoided it completely.” 

Harry forced a smile and tried not to wonder if Tom had been mad that Cedric hadn’t said anything about the visit. “I’m alive, so I suppose I can’t complain.”

“Let’s go,” Tom interrupted. “You can talk to him tonight.” 

“You’re visiting again? So soon?” 

“Magical transportation has made travelling easier,” Harry said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Never,” Cedric responded, and it sounded like he was telling the truth.

Harry tried to ignore how scared that made him feel. Their hate was something Harry could understand. The idea that they would want him around despite everything, that he would want to be around despite everything, was one he couldn’t comprehend despite how much he wanted it.

He watched them go and waited. A moment later, an officer brought him back to McGonagall’s office. 

“Cedric Diggory has corroborated your story,” she said. “You’re free to go.”

Harry let out an internal sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he said and walked away. 

* * *

Harry returned to Lyssianssi and grabbed the spare clothes Luna had set out for him before going to the bathhouse.

Considering the Lyssianssi line of work, it wasn’t surprising that they had a luxurious bathhouse. There were private stalls, with pipes to each that were covered in fire runes. The water that came out was near-scalding, and Harry sank into the small pool with a pleased groan. The grime on his skin quickly turned the water dirty, and he scrubbed furiously until his skin was pink. 

When he finally felt clean, Harry dressed and went back to his room, just to see Luna there. She was sitting on the bed, which had its sheets replaced some time when Harry had been with the constable. She had a dreamy look on her face, as though she were looking at something far away that no one else could see.

That look had driven officials and nobles to their demise more than once, fools who thought that Luna was airheaded as she looked. Harry would never make the same mistake. 

“I saw Tom,” he said in a rush. “I’m meeting him tonight.”

Luna blinked once. “How do you feel about that?” 

Harry dropped onto the bed and curled up beside Luna. “I’m terrified.”

“Are you worried they’ll hurt you?” 

“No.” He paused and thought about it for a moment. “No,” he repeated. “They’ve never…” Never hurt him before. They had given him everything he had asked for. Which was a ridiculous claim, one Harry could only make because he had spent his childhood learning to never ask for anything.

He had never asked for freedom. Harry wondered if that was a sign of his screwed-up psyche and then refused to think about it more. He had fought for freedom in the end, a battle of secrets and subterfuge, fought in the shadows where the Arinaris did everything else. 

“Then why are you scared?” 

“You know why.” 

“I want you to say it.”

“Because I chose my side and it wasn’t with them. Because I used what they taught me and I feel so gods-cursed guilty about it even though I shouldn’t. Because I loved them despite knowing they were bad people, and I think there’s a part of me that still does.” Harry groaned and shut his eyes. “Satisfied?” 

“Are you?” 

He pulled the pillow over his face in response. “Are you satisfied with your life?” he retorted through the fabric, words muffled.

“What?” 

Harry moved the pillow up slightly and repeated the question.

“I like what I do,” Luna said. 

“Running a brothel?” Harry asked incredulously. He had secretly thought that Luna only did this because she, like all of them, lacked the formal education to do something different. Harry worked as a potions shop storage clerk and organised ingredients in the back, and he earned enough to just survive.

“I make sure the only people who work here are willing and people who are forced into a position like this get to do something different. I provide a place for people to meet and a safe way for us to communicate.” 

“Oh.” He sighed and patted Luna’s leg. “Sorry, I didn’t…I’m happy you’re happy.”

She smiled. “Do you need to prep for your meeting?”

* * *

At nine bells, Harry arrived at the doorstep of Tom and Cedric’s home. He had agonised over it for the past three hours, wondering if he was really going to go in. He sucked in a deep breath and knocked. 

The door opened after a few seconds just when Harry was ready to bolt. “Harry, hi!” Cedric exclaimed. “Come in.” 

Harry shuffled in and saw Tom leaning against the wall. Instantly, he wanted to back out again, but Cedric shut the door and leaned against it, blocking off Harry’s escape route.

“Hi,” Harry said, forcing a stiff smile to his face. He dropped it in a moment. These weren’t strangers who would be fooled by facial expression. 

“Sit,” Cedric said, pushing Harry to one of the worn chairs. He tucked a blanket around Harry and disappeared into the kitchen. 

Harry toed his shoes off and tucked them under his butt. He leaned against the cushion of the couch and relaxed a little. 

Cedric came back with a ceramic mug, and he set it at the table beside Harry. “Honey water with a dash of lemon.” 

Just as he liked it. Cedric had remembered his go-to comfort drink. “Thanks,” Harry murmured, warmth blooming inside his chest even though he knew he was being manipulated.

“Walk us through what happened,” Tom ordered as he came to sit in a chair across from Harry. Together, he and Cedric were blocking him in. They were also blocking the world from him.

Harry told the story one more time and wondered at how he could sound so detached when he was anything but. 

“Dragon fire,” Tom drawled when Harry finished. “Not many people can get their hands on a controlled substance, not even Arinaris targets.” 

“Which narrows the list of possibilities,” Cedric concluded. “Any chance this was random? What were Ana, Ari, and Zach doing?”

Harry hesitated and wrung his hands on the blanket. 

“Harry,” Cedric said, a gentle order. 

“They’re targeting the Arinaris,” Harry said.

“Harry.” Tom this time.

“Ari and Ana worked for the Ministry,” Harry confessed. The twins were born identical and had been trained to be even more so. They had shared a telepathic connection, which let them exchange information quickly, a vital power when they were pretending to be a single person. “It was part of the deal we made with them when we…you know.” _Betrayed you._

“And Zach?” Tom asked, still calm. 

“He was a stableboy.” 

“Who has the Arinaris files,” Tom demanded. 

“Luna,” Harry admitted. “She’s been our point of contact.” 

“Didn’t see that coming,” Cedric murmured. 

“Luna has always been good at the job,” Tom said. “Harry, you’ll be staying here until the threat is eliminated.” 

“Tom, we said we’d ask.” Cedric flashed a charming smile. “Harry, would you like to stay here until the threat is over?” 

Harry looked between the two of them. “Is saying no an option?”

“Of course. You can return to the brothel, live off Luna’s hospitality, and risk her life if the assassins come after you again.” 

“How did you—” Harry glared at them. “You followed me.”

Tom rolled his eyes. “Someone tried to blow you up. Of course we did.”

“Yes or no, Harry?”

“No,” Harry said because he desperately wanted to say yes. “Thank you.” 

“Okay. Would you like to stay the night? Or we can walk you back.” 

“Can we just sit here?” Harry asked. “For a while?”

“We definitely can,” Cedric said. 

* * *

Harry opened his eyes and saw the light shining in through the window. He was lying flat on the sofa, the blanket still covering him. The house was quiet. Under the light, Harry caught a glimmer of wards out of the corner of his eye. Transparent wards. 

Transparent wards that had been keyed to him even though he had never been to this house before yesterday. 

He didn’t know what to think of that, so he didn’t think at all. Harry swung his legs off the sofa and looked around the house. He kept the blanket wrapped around him, enjoying the soft fabric against his bare arms.

It was such an idyllic place. Large windows, natural light flooding the house, flowers by window sills, unlit fireplace, even a pretty tea set on the table. It was so unlike Tom and Cedric, but at the same time, it was _exactly_ Tom and Cedric in its elegance. It was a contradiction because they were a contradiction, and for a moment, Harry was just _so angry_ that he found them eight years ago rather than now. Things would have been so much easier without their history.

“Problem?” Tom asked, coming up to stand beside him. He looked perfect, like always. 

“I hate you,” Harry said because this was Tom, and Tom would understand what Harry left unsaid. Cedric wouldn’t. “I hate you for being such an arsehole, by the gods. Why did you have to join the Arinaris?”

“I liked the power.” A brutal, honest statement.

“We were people! Didn’t you care?” 

Tom shrugged. “I didn’t know you. Why should I care about strangers?”

“And now?”

“Does it still matter now? It’s over. There was a war. We lost. You won.” 

“It doesn’t feel like I won.” 

“Because you’re being attacked?” 

“Because I don’t have you.” Harry took in a shuddering breath. “I don’t hate you. Tell Cedric thanks. I’m going to go now.” Before he said anything else stupid.

“Wait,” Tom called out. “I think it might be one of the trainers targeting your side.” The Arinaris had been split in two sides: the trainers and the pets. A pretty way to say owners and slaves. When Harry had been a pet, Tom and Cedric had been his trainers. Unlike most of the other pets, though, Harry had never been sent to spy. His speciality had been codebreaking, and he had been good at it. Good enough to code messages for the pets and take down the trainers.

“After five years?” 

“Not more unlikely than someone with a grudge against the Arinaris coming back after five years to hunt you down. And the twins worked different jobs than Zach, from what I remember. Also, Cedric has done some digging, and no trainer has died in the past three years.”

Harry dug through his memories for the trainers. He had always been more familiar with the pets, and it took him awhile to recall a name. “Draco Malfoy is wealthy and connected.” 

“Enough to get dragon fire. And it would be fitting with his name.”

“He’s not the type to be subtle though. The first three attacks aren’t his style.”

“Didn’t his father die recently?” 

“You think the death of his father traumatised him enough to start killing people?” 

Tom rolled his eyes. “More like now he’s a Lord and needs to cover up his past crimes with society’s eyes on him. If only there were some way to get surveillance on him,” Tom mused. None of them could do it; Malfoy knew all their faces.

“I think I know someone who could help.”

* * *

Harry met Ron on the doorstep of the constable office after checking in with Luna to ensure she was alive and that she knew he was alive.

“Morning, mate,” Ron greeted with a bright smile but worry in his eyes. “What did you need? Are you well? Was there another attack?”

“I think I know who might be behind the attack on Enid.”

“Harry, are you sure you should be investigating this?” Ron whispered.

“You sound like Hermione,” Harry muttered. The only other friend Harry had made in the past five years was a brilliant, rule-abiding spell creator. “I need to. People are dying. My—” _friends are dying_ , he tried to say, but suddenly, he felt a collar tighten around his throat, cutting off his air. He clawed at his throat and cursed the tattoo in his back. 

Slowly the pressure lessened, and Harry gasped for air in between coughs. “Gods-cursed Writ!” 

“Look, don’t try to talk anymore. Sit down. Breathe.” Ron tried to push Harry down on the steps but Harry shook his head.

“No, I have to…” 

“I’ll help you whatever you want. Just sit.”

“You shouldn’t make blind promises like that,” Harry muttered. 

“Well, I wouldn’t to a stranger. You’re my friend.” 

Harry wanted to cry. No, that was ridiculous. He sighed and nodded. “I’ll go back home.”

“What did you need?” 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Look, Harry, if you’re going to go after the people who tried to blow you up, take me with you. Who do you think it is? Wait, don’t tell me if you don’t think you can.” 

“Draco Malfoy,” Harry said.

Ron made a face. 

“You know him?” Harry guessed.

“I know his family. A bad lot, all of them. Not surprised he’d be mixed up in this, but why is he after you?”

“Can’t say.”

“Right, sorry.” Ron paused. “Malfoy knows me, but he doesn’t know Hermione.”

Harry winced. “Look, coming here was a mistake. Gods curse it, I don’t know what I was thinking.” This was what happened when he acted rashly. “I don’t want to pull you two into my chaos.”

“Mate, I was into chaos long before we met. My shift ends in two hours. Meet me here, and we’ll stop by to pick up Hermione, so she can yell at us for being stupid.”

Harry nodded.

“You good then? Do me a favour and take some breaths and don’t exert yourself, yeah? Do you need a place to stay?”

“I’m fine,” Harry said. He closed his eyes and opened them again. “I’m fine.”

Ron shot him a worried look, but Harry waved him off. “Go back to work.” 

“Two hours,” Ron repeated. “Don’t leave without me.”

Harry smiled in agreement but kept his mouth shut. He had never been the type to make promises he had no intention of keeping.

When Ron disappeared back into the constable office, Harry took off to Lyssianssi. He had no idea where to find Draco Malfoy or buy a glamour, and Luna would have access to both.

* * *

“This isn’t a good idea,” Luna said even as she held an invisibility cloak in one hand and an address in the other.

“I know.” Harry pulled the hood of the non-descript cloak over his face. Luna had no glamour ready on hand, but she had a hood charmed to make eyes slide over him, minds dismissing him as a nobody. That, with the back-up invisibility cloak, would hopefully be enough to prevent Malfoy from identifying him. 

“Remember, check-in after an hour, then six-hour check ins. Use the runners with the Lyssianssi symbol. If you miss a check-in—”

“You call Cedric and Tom,” Harry finished. He took the invisibility cloak and tucked it into a bottomless pocket. The address was for Peacock Lane, an expensive neighbourhood. Not surprising. He handed the address back to Luna. “Don’t die.”

“Tell yourself that.”

Harry walked to Peacock Lane. Magical transportation would have made it faster, but they also had a record of travellers, and Harry knew better than to leave such a noticeable trail behind. He wasn’t well-dressed enough to fit in with the wealthy nobles who lived in Peacock Lane, but with the cloak, it didn’t matter.

He became so focused on locating the exact Malfoy house that he nearly ran over his target. Harry froze when the tall, pale blond shoved past him, bodyguards at his sides like always. Clearly, the arrogance was still there. He dismissed Harry without even looking at him, but Harry didn’t relax until Malfoy entered his manor. 

Then Harry settled in a dark corner to wait and watch. 

Stalking someone required patience and time and Harry had only one of the two. Soon enough, his hands became antsy, desperate for something to do, and he picked at his fingers. While Peacock Lane housed the wealthy, children shrieked and ran on the streets. Some were nobles, but others were beggars and pickpockets. 

Ten minutes before the enormous clocktower struck twelve, Harry found a runner with a dirty handkerchief hanging out of his pocket. It looked like a useless piece of cloth at first, but under the light, Harry could see faint stitches of a person with a hood over their head and a mask over their face. He pulled a silver coin out of his pocket and stopped the boy. “Message for Luna,” he said. “From Harry. Package seen. Currently no activity.” 

The runner recited the message back and darted off before anyone could see. First check-in complete. 

Thirty minutes after the twelve, Harry saw two well-dressed persons exit a carriage and enter the manor. He strained his neck to catch a glimpse of their faces, but their hats and the direction of the sun shielded them too well.

It was too risky. Harry didn’t have enough time to case the manor, and he had no idea what wards were active. He had no field experience. He was a only a gods-cursed cryptographer. 

But if he got his information now, he could get back to Ron and convince him that there was no need to involve him and Hermione. 

Harry pulled the invisibility cloak over him. As the couple entered, Harry followed behind and prayed to the gods.

Malfoy Manor looked like the Arinaris headquarters. They’d had a main compound to pretend to be a legitimate posh brothel, and it had clearly been based on this place. Large hallways, ornate paintings, luxurious furniture, pretty glass chandeliers, soft carpets. An open sitting area right in front of them, which, in the Arinaris, had been open to visitors. Private rooms upstairs. 

The architecture was slightly different from what Harry remembered, but he knew enough to slip into a different room by the sitting room. Sure enough, the open doors and the thin walls were enough to let him hear the discussion on the other side, especially considering they were shouting.

“What do you mean he’s not dead?” a woman demanded.

“Your explosives went off before he got in the house, idiot.” Malfoy’s acerbic tone. 

“The constable is looking into the dragon fire now. Potter is too-high a profile target for us to go after.” An unfamiliar man. “Who’s next?”

“The only other known Arinaris is Luna, Mistress of the Lyssianssi brothel. She’s also rather well-known.” The woman again. 

“We can just make it an accident.” The man. “No one has investigated the others.”

“Make it quick. Get out of my house before someone sees you.” Malfoy. 

Harry held his breath as the two exited the manor, and he followed them into the light. Outside, he took off to a side street. The lower alleys weren’t far from Peacock Lane, but the wealth disparity could not have been bigger. Crumbling buildings, dirty streets, broken bodies. Harry ignored it all as he sprinted for Lyssianssi, the invisibility cloak protecting him from pickpockets. 

He gasped for air as he stumbled onto the steps of Lyssianssi, and he grabbed the first waitress he saw. “Luna. Get me Luna,” he bit out.

“I apologise, but I cannot divulge the location of the mistress,” she stammered. 

“Her life is in danger. Please. You have to get her. Please.” 

Something must have convinced the waitress because she nodded and set the plate down on an empty table. The woman took him to the backroom and opened the door to an empty office. “She must have left,” she mused. 

“Do you know where she may have gone?”

“Apologies, sir.” 

Harry cursed and left the brothel. 

The thirty minutes it took to reach Tom and Cedric’s house felt like a lifetime, and Harry bit off his nails one by one. He pounded the door with his fist until it opened. “I need you to do a locator spell for Luna,” he said as Tom appeared. 

“Come in.” Tom shut the door behind them. “I need a candle, a map, and a memory of her. It has to be a memory that reveals the type of person she is.”

“I have one. I need someone to draw the memory from me,” Harry said. 

Cedric stepped out with the first two items. “I can do it. Let me?”

Harry nodded. 

“Sit down and close your eyes,” Cedric murmured, a soothing voice. “Think of the memory.” 

_“We need a cryptographer to succeed.” Luna didn’t meet Harry’s eyes. Instead, she stared out the window, looking lost and dreamy when she was anything but._

_“You don’t know what you’re asking me to do,” Harry whispered. Tom and Cedric weren’t good people, not even the slightest, but they had given him a home, a life, and a belief that he was not a good-for-nothing useless brat like his relatives had screamed at him his entire childhood._

_“I don’t, and I’m sorry, Harry. But there are people here who don’t have Tom and Cedric. We’re disposable to our trainers. Lose us and they’ll just grab another person off the street and turn them into a slave. We’re slaves, Harry. Even if you love them, even if they love you, we’re still slaves. We depend on their goodwill to survive. We spy for them. We kill for them. We can never say no to them, and it’s not right.”_

_“I can say no,” Harry protested._

_Luna arched an eyebrow. “Can you?”_

_Well, he couldn’t say no exactly, but if he ever called them “master,” they would stop. “I’m not an idiot,” he said. “I know there’s something wrong with this place. But…”_

_“But they gave you security when you never had that,” Luna said. “But what about the rest of us who don’t have protection? When they’re the people we need protection from? I don’t matter to them, Harry. I want to matter to someone. I want all of us to matter to someone.”_

_Harry shut his eyes. “Yes,” he said. “I’ll be your cryptographer.” Guilt and relief warred within him, but he had chosen Luna and the others over Tom and Cedric, and there was no going back._

“I have it,” Cedric said. He held up a vial of quicksilver. 

They went to the kitchen and saw Tom with a lit candle and the map. Cedric set the memory on the map. Tom cupped the memory vial in his hand. “Show me Luna Lovegood,” he said. 

The candle’s spark leapt into the air and flowed down the candle until it reached the map. The fire licked the edges of the map, turning it to ash until only a single piece remained. The constable. 

“Would they really attack the constable?” Cedric asked, horror clear in his eyes. 

“I think she’s safe there. I heard Malfoy,” Harry said. “He wanted them to make it look like an accident. Or one of his companions did.” 

“Do you know who they were,” Tom demanded. 

“Just a woman and a man. Didn’t get a look at them, but the voices weren’t familiar.” 

“You should go make sure Luna is safe. We’ll have a chat with Malfoy.” 

Based on the look in Tom’s eyes, that chat would not go well for the blond.

* * *

Harry nearly sank to the ground in relief when he saw the distinctive silvery-blond hair across the room. He pushed his way past the officers and hugged Luna tightly. 

“Harry? What’s wrong?” she asked. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“Mr. Weasley wanted to speak to me.” She smiled prettily at Ron. “I was simply reassuring him that you were safe and not doing anything stupid on your own.”

“They’re coming after you next,” he whispered to her ear.

Luna frowned. “I’m so sorry to hear that you were attacked on my premises. This should never have happened. Terribly sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I need to attend to this. Is there anything else you require?” 

“No, uh, thank you. Is there anything I can do?”

“You’ve been wonderful. Mr. Potter, if you please.” She swept off without looking back. 

Harry hesitated. “Sorry, Ron, bye!” He hurried after Luna. Harry clenched his hands into fists, moulding and hardening the air around them to shield them from attacks. 

“What did you find?” she asked once they were outside.

“Malfoy is the source of the dragon fire. He’s hired two assassins or mercenaries to go after the Arinaris, but everyone else is hidden. Tom and Cedric are talking to him.”

“They tracked me then?” Luna turned down an alley that was definitely not the fastest way to get to Lyssianssi. 

“Yeah. Where are we going?”

“If they’re coming after me, let’s make it easy for them. It’s so terrible when complications come up, and we don’t want to be those type of people. Drop the shield.” 

Harry stared at her. “I don’t think I’m the one who has a problem with stupid decisions.” But, because this was Luna, he withdrew his magic. “Where are we going?” 

Luna shrugged. “It’s a beautiful day. Would you like to go for a walk with me?”

“Of course.” 

The two of them strolled through the city, passing by carriages and markets, even stopping to browse jewellery and meat pies. Harry purchased one for the two of them to share. 

“Where do you think we would be now if we hadn’t been with the Arinaris?” Harry asked in between bites. 

“Does it matter?” 

“I suppose not.” Luna hummed. “What are you going to do after this is over?” 

“Celebrate being alive. Visit Ari, Ana, and Zach’s graves. See if Snape has fired me for being missing for so long.” The Potions Master Harry worked for was demanding and rude, expecting nothing less than perfection. 

Luna let out a laugh. “I think I’ll go with you to the graves,” she said quietly. “You think someone is going to be here forever, and then suddenly one day, you receive a piece of paper telling you they’re gone. You think you’d know when your friend dies, but you don’t. There’s not gut feeling or sudden clenching in your stomach or anything. I see two people following us.”

The last sentence was said so calmly that it took Harry a moment to comprehend the sudden change of topic. “Where?” he asked, restraining his need to turn around and look.

“About thirty paces behind us. I saw them by the tea shop and then when we stopped for the pie.” She smiled and stopped by a stand to look at peaches. “You should go,” Luna murmured, lips barely moving. 

“We should stay together,” Harry argued. 

Luna purchased a peach and paid. She bit into the fruit with a blissful look on her face. “Go,” she repeated. “I can take two assassins. Have a little faith.” 

“Okay,” Harry agreed. 

In the end, he should have been more concerned about himself than Luna. 

* * *

Harry’s head pounded like someone had reached inside his skull and was currently hammering nails in. He wiggled his fingers and toes. Bound to something, likely a chair. What in the name of the gods happened?

He cracked his eyelids a little and scanned the location. Arinaris headquarters. Wait, that wasn’t right. That building had been destroyed. This was Malfoy Manor. 

“What were you thinking?” Malfoy was yelling. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to touch Potter. You know who paid me a visit earlier. Riddle and Diggory. And now you brought Potter here? What happened with Lovegood?”

“Calm down,” the woman snapped, irritation coating every word. “We went after Lovegood, and she nearly took out my eye. You never mentioned combat training.” 

“You’re mercenaries. It shouldn’t matter,” Malfoy snarled. 

“It doesn’t matter anymore. We have Potter. We’ll use him to lure Lovegood in. They’ll die in a murder-suicide. Problem solved,” the man said.

“Good. Take care of Diggory and Riddle too after this,” Malfoy bit out.

Kill all four of them? Not going to happen. Harry gritted his teeth and wiggled his fingers, pushing through the lethargy as he tried to free his wrists. The coarse rope rubbed painfully against his skin, but he didn’t stop. If only he could just get it loose enough.

He didn’t have much on his person, and Harry regretted every step that got him to this place. If only he hadn’t grown lax with his own security. If only he had more combat training for him to fight his way out. If only he could do more than personal shields. Ridiculous paper-thin invisible barriers. What good were they if he was already trapped?

Harry took a deep breath and pushed the frustration away. He was here, and there was nothing he could change about the actions that led up to this. He needed to think about this logically. Goal: escape and remove their leverage.

Harry looked around again. Location: sitting room. Position: tied to a chair. No guard on him, which relieved and worried him. They weren’t concerned about him becoming free.

What could he do? His abilities were mainly random knowledge about potion ingredients and shielding. Potions wasn’t about to help him here. What about shields? What could he do with a shield other than protect his body? What if he could use it to cut through the rope?

Harry shaped the magic around him, but instead of hardening the air around his body, he pictured a knife, something he would use in potion ingredient preparation. The air hit the ropes, and he felt a little give but lost his grip on the magic. The air blade dissipated. Harry gritted his teeth and tried again. One centimetre. Another.

Finally, he felt the rope loosen around his wrists and drop to the ground. Harry bent over and fumbled the knots at his ankles. He sprinted for the door. As he stumbled outside, a blast caught him in the back. Harry hit the cobblestone, and pain shot through his knees. 

He threw up a shield around him—stupid to not do it as he was running—and turned. The woman stalked towards him, power crackling around her. He recognized her. Daphne Greengrass. Combat-oriented mercenary, brutal and loyal. No chance he could bribe her even if he had money.

He hardened the air between them, creating a barrier to block her off. She shoved the barrier, and the air rippled. BOOM!

Harry fell back and his hands came up to cover his head. Was there another explosion? 

Greengrass had also fallen to the ground. Between them, the cobblestone had developed a massive crack, jagged lines cutting close to Harry. There was no way she could reach him now without going around. 

But she didn’t need to. 

Greengrass stretched out a hand. Red fire flew towards him. Harry rolled to the side and felt the flames brush past, enough to feel uncomfortably warm. He reached for his magic and made a wobbly shield. It would maybe hold back another attack. Harry didn’t wait for it to come. 

He sprinted away from Malfoy Manor and Peacock Lane, not stopping until he reached Lyssianssi. Harry rushed through the door, slamming into something hard and hitting the ground with a grunt. A moment later, he found himself on his back, hands pinned over his head as a familiar face looked down on him. 

“Harry?” Tom asked incredulously. “You’re alive.” 

“Yes?” Harry said, relaxing under Tom’s weight.

Cedric dropped to the ground next to him on one side, Luna on the other. “What happened to you?” he asked. 

“I think Greengrass and her partner attacked me from behind after Luna and I parted ways.” He had a vague memory of a sharp pain in his neck before waking up in the chair.

“Daphne Greengrass?” Tom adjusted his grip on Harry and hummed. “Usually works with Theodore Nott. Combat-trained, both magical and physical.” 

“Could be her partner,” Harry said.

“We could kill her,” Tom said, “but that wouldn’t solve the problem. Malfoy could keep hiring assassins, and it only takes a mistake to get killed.”

“Killing Malfoy would solve the problem, but the constable would come after us,” Cedric pointed out, his manner calm like they weren’t discussing murder. 

“Don’t kill him. Expose him.” Luna leaned back, eyes distant. “He’s doing this because he’s a Lord and he wants to avoid a scandal. We’ll make it so big that no number of deaths can ever cover it up.”

“We can’t do that.” Harry shut his eyes and resisted the urge to curse the Ministry. “The Writ.” It would kill them if they tried. 

“Actually, we can,” Tom said.

Luna understood before Harry did. “They didn’t bind a Writ to you,” she breathed.

Harry’s eyes snapped open. “What?” 

“It makes sense,” Luna said. “The trainers were well-known, powerful people with leverage against the Ministry. And they wouldn’t expose the Arinaris because that would mean exposing themselves too.”

“That’s not fair.” A childish response, but Harry couldn’t help it. They had been victimised once by the trainers, and now he felt like the Ministry had done the same.

“It’s not,” Cedric agreed softly. “We’ll make it right. Tom, get off Harry before he falls asleep. Luna, will you mind—”

“My healer on staff will check over him,” Luna confirmed. 

Tom rolled to his feet in one smooth move, and Harry missed the weight and security immediately. “Good day, Harry, Luna.” He nodded to them and swept out of Lyssianssi with Cedric. 

Harry looked around the empty room. “Where is everyone?” he asked belatedly. Lyssianssi usually had at least one or two patrons at any time. 

“I closed it when I realised you were missing. I’m sorry, Harry. I didn’t realise they were going to go after you.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Harry murmured. “I didn’t know either.” 

“Do you want to get cleaned up?” 

“That would be nice.”

* * *

**SCANDAL IN THE HOUSE OF MALFOY**  
_Lord Draco Malfoy has been exposed as a slaver. He was part of an organisation that captured the homeless and trained them to become spies in order to blackmail the nobility._

__Harry didn’t finish reading the newspaper. He went straight to Luna’s office and rapped his knuckles on her door. “Did you see this?” he demanded as Luna let him in._ _

__She skimmed the paper. “This morning’s news?” she asked._ _

__“I didn’t expect them to get it done so quickly.” They had discussed this only three days ago, and Harry had kept his head down since._ _

__“Did you read the entire thing?”_ _

__“No, why?” Harry didn’t wait for an answer. He took the paper back and read the article quickly. A line caught his attention_ _

___In addition to Lord Malfoy, among those involved were Pansy Parkinson, Isobel MacDougal, Maria Glossop, Michael Corner, Zacharias Smith, Blaise Zabini, Nanette Desford, Tom Riddle, and Cedric Diggory, a shocking list of powerful citizens._ _ _

____They had written themselves in. He shouldn’t have been surprised. It would have been conspicuously noticeable if they hadn’t, considering all the other trainers were on that list, but Harry still couldn’t believe his eyes._ _ _ _

____“I have to go,” he murmured._ _ _ _

____“I know. Be safe.”_ _ _ _

____Harry left. For the third time in five days, he went to Tom and Cedric’s house. This time, he noticed the wards as he approached the house, felt how they welcomed him._ _ _ _

____The door opened. His throat dried. Harry swallowed. “Hi,” he said._ _ _ _

____Cedric stepped aside and let him in._ _ _ _

____“Is Tom here?”_ _ _ _

____“He is. Going outside has been…taxing.”_ _ _ _

____“I bet.” He swallowed a hysterical laugh that threatened to bubble up. “Why did you do it? How did Tom even agree to it?” Harry might have loved them but he also knew them, knew the sense of self-preservation that they possessed and also trained into him._ _ _ _

____“He suggested it actually. I agreed though. It was the right thing to do. We never knew the Ministry bound you to a Writ of Silence.” Cedric sighed. “If there’s something you would like help with, I’m afraid we can’t really do much now.”_ _ _ _

____“No, that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted…” He didn’t know what he wanted. Actually, that was a lie. Harry knew exactly what he wanted. “I wanted to speak to you and Tom.”_ _ _ _

____“Alright.” Cedric walked with him to the back of the house, a room he hadn’t seen before. It was an office. Two identical brown desks sat side by side. One was empty. Tom sat behind the other, the morning paper in his hands._ _ _ _

____He looked up at their arrival and smiled. “I see you saw the paper. Or you couldn’t stand staring at the walls of Lyssianssi any longer.”_ _ _ _

____Harry flashed a quick smile. “Yes. Thank you for everything.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re welcome. Is that all you came here to say?”_ _ _ _

____“No, there’s something else. I wanted…if you would like and you can say no but if you, both of you, would like I would like to propose that we…um…became reacquainted.” Harry’s cheeks burned, and he shuffled on the ground a little. “You can discuss. I’m going to go now, bye.” The words came out in a rush, and he was ready to bolt._ _ _ _

____“Wait,” Tom ordered._ _ _ _

____He stilled._ _ _ _

____“This isn’t a refusal,” he said. “Not on our part. But we want you to be sure. It’s been a long week and it’s not even over yet. You’ve been in a stressful situation, and sometimes, when we’re stressed, we make decisions that we later regret.”_ _ _ _

____“What are you saying?”_ _ _ _

____“Wait a week. Talk to a friend. Think about what you want. If you’re still interested, we’ll be here. We need you to be sure.”_ _ _ _

____“Okay.”_ _ _ _

* * *

____A week later, Harry found himself dropping containers in a fit of nerves until Potions Master Snape sent him away, snappish as always. To his surprise, not only had he kept his job, but his boss had also extended an awkward “Are you well?” and paid him for the days he had been absent._ _ _ _

____He decided to go to Tom and Cedric’s earlier than he had planned. Harry kept his head down as he walked from the transport station. With the article in all the papers, outrage had risen in the city even though the Arinaris had ended five years ago. They didn’t know where Tom and Cedric lived, but Harry was still wary._ _ _ _

____Nothing happened. He made it to their house with no screams and shouts, and it was almost anti-climatic except his heart was pounding and his palms were sweating. But Harry didn’t hesitate. He went up to the door and knocked loudly._ _ _ _

____The door opened. “It’s still a yes,” Harry said in a rush. He didn’t tell them it would always be a yes; that wasn’t something he could guarantee. But for now, he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, what he wanted._ _ _ _

____“Come in,” Cedric said. “Have you eaten yet?”_ _ _ _

____Harry shook his head._ _ _ _

____“Sit. I’ll heat something up for you. While you’re waiting, you can also look over this.” Cedric grabbed a packet off the table and handed it to Harry._ _ _ _

____He stared at the first line._ _ _ _

____**I am interested in (select all that apply): 1) a full-time relationship 2) an open relationship 3) a sexual relationship 3) a nonsexual relationship** _ _ _ _

____“What is this?” Harry asked._ _ _ _

____“A terms and agreement of sorts. Not legally binding of course. Just to ensure we’re all on the same page. You can change your answers at any time. Would you like soup?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, please.” Harry flipped through the rest of the pages quickly. There were questions ranging from bondage to sex, and his cheeks burned. Cedric set the bowl by him and Harry diligently filled the form out._ _ _ _

____“I left some blank,” Harry said when he finished. “I wasn’t sure what to write.”_ _ _ _

____“That’s fine,” Cedric assured. “Tom and I will look over this, and then we can discuss any questions we have, and you can ask us questions too. Tell me what you had in mind before I gave you a stack of paperwork.”_ _ _ _

____He had a week to think about this, a week of scenarios and fantasies. But this was real life, and Harry found his mind blank. “I missed you,” he said. “I missed being close to you. I missed seeing you every day. I missed the sex.” His cheeks burned at the admission. “I missed talking to you.”_ _ _ _

____“Talk to me then. Tell me about your life. Tell me about yourself.”_ _ _ _

____“I work for Potions Master Severus Snape,” Harry began._ _ _ _

* * *

Three Months Later

____On the way to the transport station, Harry passed by the market. An object caught his eye, and before he could second-guess himself, Harry purchased it and stuffed it in his bag. It was innocuous, but not in his mind, and his cheeks burned, feeling as though anyone who passed by knew what he intended to do._ _ _ _

____Over the past three months, he had spent dozens of hours with Tom and Cedric. As the scandal died down like they had predicted—nothing could keep the nobility away from wealth and connections (and bribes may have occurred)—they had ventured out to the city, exploring fairs that passed by and celebrating festivals of light and souls._ _ _ _

____Harry felt lighter than ever, a weight he hadn’t realised existed lifted off. But today, he found his heart racing in anticipation—and dread. In the past three months, Tom and Cedric hadn’t touched him more than holding his hand while they were out or cuddling in bed or on the couch. They had wanted to make sure he wasn’t making a decision he would regret even though he had filled out the contract, gone over everything with them, and spoken to Luna about it._ _ _ _

____He was _sure._ He had a plan, and he just needed it to not horribly backfire on him. _ _ _ _

____Harry took a deep breath and let himself into the house. It hit him then. He had a key to the house, a room in the back for him, a part of the bed he called his. They had modified their life to include him._ _ _ _

____Oh gods, what if he did this and ruined everything?_ _ _ _

____A hand snagged his wrist as he passed and pulled him down to the large sofa. “What’s in the bag?” Tom asked absently as he wrote notes on a paper. Despite everything that had happened, Tom had found employment once more as a cryptographer. Spies were in high demand, and they had ended up in the life as an alternative to prison after the public demanded justice._ _ _ _

____“Nothing,” Harry said as casually as possible._ _ _ _

____At that, Tom lifted his head to peer at Harry. He said nothing, just waited._ _ _ _

____Harry wilted like a dying flower. He ducked his head and stared at his hands. “I wanted to…uh…” His cheeks felt like someone had lit a match in his blood. He opened his bag and showed Tom._ _ _ _

____“Why do you have so much rope?” Tom asked blankly. “If you’re planning on kidnapping someone, tying them up is a good idea, I suppose.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m not kidnapping anyone!” Harry wondered if he could just bury himself in the bed and sleep away the mortification. “I wanted you to use it on me.”_ _ _ _

____“I can make that happen,” Tom said, his voice dark with promises._ _ _ _

* * *

____Despite his words, Tom didn’t do anything or bring it up again. When Cedric—who now worked as a translator—came back, they ate dinner and spoke about everything except what Harry had really wanted._ _ _ _

____But after dinner, as they were cleaning up, Tom pressed him against the wall and kissed him senseless. A moment later, Tom pulled back, looking irritatingly unaffected. “Go to the bedroom and get undressed,” he ordered._ _ _ _

____Harry stared at Tom for a second, his brain fuzzy. Were his legs working? He finally registered the command and walked away on wobbly legs. In the dark room, he waved the fairy lights on and peeled off his shirt with stiff fingers. Everything followed, and he folded the clothes, setting them aside._ _ _ _

____It felt odd to stand in the room undressed. It had been two years since the last time he had sex, and that hadn’t exactly lasted long. This was uncomfortable, and Harry knew that both Tom and Cedric intended for it to be so._ _ _ _

____He waited at least thirty minutes, standing in place. The door opened. Tom and Cedric strolled in. Harry could feel their eyes on him._ _ _ _

____“Pretty darling,” Tom murmured. “Behaving so well for us.”_ _ _ _

____Cedric cupped Harry’s face and kissed him on the lips, light and chaste, a sharp contrast to the grip on his cock. His mouth caught Harry’s gasp and deepened the kiss. Harry found himself being pushed backwards. He fell for a second before his back hit the soft bed. Harry scrambled to regain his balance._ _ _ _

____“Didn’t you say he wanted to be bound?” Cedric asked. “We should grant him that pleasure for his good behaviour.”_ _ _ _

____Tom let out a hum. “Perhaps something simple,” he said like he was thinking about what to do._ _ _ _

____Harry wasn’t fooled. He knew that Tom knew exactly what would happen, had probably planned it out from the beginning. He held his breath as Tom pulled Harry closer to the headboard._ _ _ _

____“Remember to breathe,” Tom ordered._ _ _ _

____Harry sucked in a breath as Tom wrapped the rope around his hands, securing him to the headboard while leaving space for blood circulation. He tugged on the knots a little, testing them out. Harry had a little room for movement but not much. He was now open and helpless to anything Tom and Cedric wanted. Arousal pooled in his stomach as he waited to see what they would do._ _ _ _

____“Just say stop and we’ll stop,” Cedric reminded Harry. Unlike before, there was no need for a secret word to tell them there was a problem. This time, Harry asking for them to stop or slow down wouldn’t look out of place._ _ _ _

____“I know,” Harry said._ _ _ _

____“Good. Don’t come without permission.”_ _ _ _

____Harry felt a little indignant that they thought he would need the reminder, but before he could complain, Cedric’s mouth engulfed Harry’s cock in warm heat and sucked like he was trying to pull out Harry’s brains through it._ _ _ _

____It was working. Harry couldn’t think of anything but _more_. His hips strained with the effort to not thrust into Cedric’s mouth, to lie there and take what they wanted to give him. _ _ _ _

____Embarrassingly soon, Harry felt his orgasm approach, and he let out a whine._ _ _ _

____Tom and Cedric had never been the type to set him up to fail. Cedric pulled off when Harry thought he would disappoint them on their first time together again. Harry’s body bucked up uncontrollably, desperate to chase the sensation no matter what his brain wanted, and Cedric’s hand pressed him down to the bed._ _ _ _

____“Behave,” he ordered._ _ _ _

____“Yes, sir,” Harry whimpered._ _ _ _

____“Cedric,” he corrected. “Use our names.”_ _ _ _

____He had fallen into old habits. “Yes, Cedric. Sorry, Cedric.”_ _ _ _

____“Good darling,” Cedric praised and leaned down to kiss him again._ _ _ _

____Harry grew warm inside and he leaned into the kiss as much as possible. As Cedric pulled back, Harry found himself being flipped onto his stomach, the rope twisting, the knots with just enough give. A single finger slick with oil slid into his arse, and Harry clenched down instinctively before relaxing and spreading his legs._ _ _ _

____Tom fingered him slowly, more playful than anything else. He brushed against Harry’s prostate a few times, sending shockwaves of pleasure but never for long._ _ _ _

____He pushed back against Tom’s finger, begging for more. Tom withdrew and spanked him five times in rapid succession. Pain bloomed and then blossomed into pleasure. “Stay still,” he ordered._ _ _ _

____Harry whimpered and subsided. The finger came back, and his hands clenched into fists as he tried to resist the need to move. Tom withdrew again even though Harry had done nothing wrong, but he came back with two fingers. The stretch was wonderful but nowhere close to what he wanted. Harry craved Tom and Cedric inside him, fingers digging into his hips as they held him down and took him. He wanted to be used roughly enough that he would feel it the next day. He knew better than to beg for it. They would only take pleasure in denying him and making him wait longer._ _ _ _

____Suddenly, Tom’s fingers hit Harry’s prostate directly, and Harry let out a cry. He pushed back and realised what he had done too late. Tom withdrew his fingers again and spanked him ten times this time._ _ _ _

____“So pretty and pink,” Tom drawled, rubbing his palm across Harry’s arse. “Cedric, what do you think?”_ _ _ _

____Cedric hummed, and suddenly, Harry felt a weight press down on him, the head of a cock wrapped in a sleeve against his hole. Cedric pushed in an inch and then withdrew. Harry bit down on a whine and pressed his face into the pillow, his legs tense. Cedric thrust in again, not much more than what he had done before. He was a gods-cursed tease and Harry was going to die._ _ _ _

____Harry cast his attention elsewhere, desperate for a distraction before he started begging. Distantly, he heard the sound of running water and realised he had missed Tom’s departure to wash his hands._ _ _ _

____“You still with me?” Cedric asked, sounding ridiculously unaffected like he didn’t have half his cock inside Harry._ _ _ _

____“Please,” Harry moaned. It made Cedric chuckle and he pressed in another inch before withdrawing again._ _ _ _

____After an eternity, Cedric was finally fully inside him, and Harry waited impatiently for him to move. He didn’t. His weight kept Harry pinned down and Harry couldn’t wiggle or push back or do _anything_._ _ _ _

____“Did you forget how to fuck someone?” Tom drawled as he walked around the bed. Harry turned his head to meet Tom’s eyes, mentally begging for Tom to persuade Cedric to _move_ , gods curse it._ _ _ _

____Cedric laughed. “Can you cut his hands free?” he asked._ _ _ _

____Tom didn’t respond, but a moment later, Harry found his hands suddenly free. He folded them over his head, unsure of what to do, but Cedric caught his left wrist and moved it down his body._ _ _ _

____“Touch yourself,” Cedric ordered. “Stroke yourself as I fuck you.”_ _ _ _

____Harry wrapped his fingers around his neglected cock and moved his hand in time with Cedric’s thrusts. The dual stimulation brought him to the edge too fast, and Harry slowed, struggling to not come._ _ _ _

____“Speed up,” Tom ordered from where he was watching on the side._ _ _ _

____He couldn’t disobey. Harry fucked his hand and desperately tried to not come. “I can’t,” he moaned. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”_ _ _ _

____“Come,” Tom ordered._ _ _ _

____His orgasm washed over him, for several long seconds. Distantly, Harry realised he was making a mess, but he couldn’t bother to care at that moment. Blissfully, Harry released his cock._ _ _ _

____“Did we say you could stop?” Tom asked, his voice a dangerous threat. “Go on, darling.”_ _ _ _

____Harry wrapped his fingers around his oversensitive cock once more. It hurt so close to after his orgasm, and his body rebelled against it even as his brain made him continue, desperate to obey. Cedric hit his prostate head on, each thrust too much sensation. One of his hands came down to join Harry’s and forced their fingers to the sensitive underside of Harry’s cock where he had been avoiding._ _ _ _

____Somehow, Harry’s cock hardened again. His orgasm built slowly this time, his body still exhausted. Behind him, Cedric’s thrusts grew erratic, and he came. His hand stilled for a moment before tightening around Harry’s fingers and cock again. “Come when you’re ready,” Cedric murmured._ _ _ _

____The blend of pleasure and pain was too much, and Harry came again. Cedric released their grip on his cock and collapsed beside him. His warmth disappeared for a moment to dispose of the sleeve and remove the rest of his clothes before returning._ _ _ _

____Harry snuggled up against Cedric and stared at Tom with heavy-lidded eyes. “What about you?” he asked sleepily._ _ _ _

____“I can use my own hand,” Tom said dryly but he didn’t touch himself. Instead, he brought a washcloth over and wiped off as much of the mess from Harry’s body as he could._ _ _ _

____“Sleep,” Cedric said. “We’ll clean up tomorrow.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re going to complain about the mess tomorrow,” Tom pointed out. “Just give me a moment.”_ _ _ _

____Harry watched lazily as Tom spun a quick spell with his fingers and a spool of thread. Suddenly, the sheets were crisp and clean, the wrinkles gone._ _ _ _

____Tom undressed quickly and laid on the other side of Harry. He pulled Harry to him and ran a hand through his hair and down his body, soft caresses that reassured him everything was fine. “You were so good for us,” he said. “So good.”_ _ _ _

____Harry snuggled against him and fell asleep like that, hearing nothing but Tom’s praise in his ear._ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](https://bluepandawrites.tumblr.com/)!


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